Industrial construction inventory specialist job description
An industrial construction inventory specialist orders and tracks the bolts, pipe fittings, welding rod and parts that plant jobs run on. They keep counts right, store each item the way its maker or spec calls for, and get the right part to the crew before the work stops.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, commercial and industrial building contractors · BLS, May 2025
Responsible for efficiently ordering parts, tracking usage, and maintaining stock to support industrial construction projects.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Order parts and materials required for industrial construction projects.
Track parts usage and conduct regular stock audits to ensure accuracy.
Maintain organized inventory records and update systems as necessary.
Coordinate with vendors and project teams to ensure on-time delivery and availability of parts.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review inventory levels and identify parts needing replenishment each morning.
Process and track purchase orders for accuracy and timely fulfillment.
Communicate with on-site teams to confirm parts requirements and changes.
Update inventory management systems to reflect daily transactions and usage.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Order Accuracy: 98% accuracy rate in parts ordering.
Inventory Turnover: Achieve a minimum of 4 inventory turnovers per year.
Stock Availability: Maintain stock availability at 99% on critical parts.
Order Fulfillment Time: Ensure average order processing time is within 24 hours.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High School Diploma or equivalent; Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree preferred.
Minimum of 2 years of experience in inventory management or a related role.
Proficient in inventory software, ERP systems, and Microsoft Office Suite.
Strong organizational, analytical, and communication skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience in the industrial construction or heavy industrial sectors.
Prior work in parts ordering, supply chain management, or logistics coordination.
Familiarity with construction project management and procurement processes.
Demonstrated ability to work in a fast-paced, solution-oriented environment.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift up to 25 lbs.
Frequent standing, walking, and moving around warehouse or shop floor areas.
Work in confined spaces and potentially hot or cold industrial environments.
Extended periods of computer use for inventory tracking and documentation.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Monday to Friday schedule with typical working hours from 8 AM to 5 PM.
Occasional overtime during peak project periods is required.
Minimal travel to vendor sites or project locations may be necessary.
Fast-paced and dynamic industrial work environment.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary: $45,000 - $55,000 USD per year, commensurate with experience.
Performance-based bonus opportunities.
Comprehensive health insurance package.
Dental, Vision, and 401(k) benefits available.
10. Company Culture and Overview
Dedicated to innovation, integrity, and continuous improvement.
Supportive, team-oriented culture that values growth and career development.
Commitment to excellence in industrial construction projects and customer satisfaction.
Offers a collaborative environment with opportunities for ongoing learning and advancement.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
Every inventory specialist counts, orders and stores. On industrial jobs, some stock comes with storage rules from its maker or a trade standard, and its paperwork has to stay with it.
High-strength bolts stay dry until the shift needs them
Welding rod has storage rules from its maker. A Lincoln Electric handling guide for its European-made rod says low-hydrogen stick rod from cardboard boxes is dried, then kept in a heated holding oven. Leftover rod goes back to be dried again, and rod that got soaked or sat out a long time should be thrown out. The guide says the label's drying steps can differ, so follow the box. Track rod by type and lot, and post the oven log. Source: Lincoln Electric Europe: Storage and handling instructions for covered electrodes (PC-OP-0005).
Every issue gets a job number
On time and material work, consumables are hard to bill unless someone wrote down where they went. Issue gas, grinding discs, rod and small parts to a job and cost code at the crib, not to a general shop account. Clean issue records let the project manager bill them and answer an owner's questions fast.
How much industrial construction inventory specialists make
The closest BLS group for industrial construction inventory specialists is shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks. Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks who work for commercial and industrial builders earned a median of $29.17 an hour ($60,670 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s above the $45,260 median for shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks in all industries. About 730 of the 816,870 shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks in that survey work for commercial and industrial building contractors.
The template pays a set salary, plus a bonus for results. Its band begins near the bottom of BLS pay for industrial building and stays under the median.
Commercial and industrial building contractors
$60,670$60,670 median Middle half $51,840–$73,150 10th–90th $45,470–$78,210
All industries
$45,260$45,260 median Middle half $38,200–$51,570 10th–90th $34,650–$62,190
$20k$30k$40k$50k$60k$70k$80k$90k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Commercial and industrial building contractors
$45,470
$51,840
$60,670
$73,150
$78,210
All industries
$34,650
$38,200
$45,260
$51,570
$62,190
BLS reports industrial and commercial building contractors together. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Exact counts and clean records, every day
Knows pipe, fitting and flange basics: size, schedule, pressure class and material
Reads a bill of materials and matches it to what arrived
Short, clear updates to foremen and buyers when a part runs late
At ease in an ERP or inventory system and in spreadsheets
Teach these on the job
Your inventory and purchasing software
Storage steps for bolts and welding rod on your jobs
Each plant's gate and delivery rules
Your cost codes and how the office bills consumables
Counting the crib and yard on a set schedule
Expect an inventory or ERP system tied to purchase orders, a barcode scanner or tablet at the crib, and spreadsheets for job material lists. In the yard and crib, the specialist uses pallet jacks, bins, racks and rod ovens. List your software in the posting, and tell candidates if the work is at your shop or in a plant's crib.
Industrial construction inventory specialist interview questions
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Quarantining bad material
A box of fittings arrives with heat numbers that don't match the certifications. What do you do?
A strong answer: Quarantines and tags it on hold, tells quality control and purchasing, and doesn't issue it to the field.
Behavioral · Stock audits
Tell me about a stock audit that found big differences, such as missing fittings or consumables. What did you do?
A strong answer: Traced receiving, issues to the field and returns, found the main causes, fixed the process and rechecked.
Don't copy the template's targets as they stand. Base yours on last year's purchase orders and count results, and check them each quarter.
Order Accuracy
Compare each purchase order line with what the request asked for and what arrived: part, size, rating and quantity. Count any line that needed a return or a reorder as a miss.
Inventory Turnover
Take the cost of a year's issues to jobs and divide it by the typical value sitting in stock. Keep slow-moving spare parts and job leftovers in their own counts.
Stock Availability
List the parts that stop work when they're missing, such as bolts, gaskets and rod. Track how often a crew asked for one and the crib had it.
Order Fulfillment Time
Time each request from when the field sends it to when the purchase order goes out or the part is issued. Pull the times from your system each week.
Career path
Tool crib attendantIssues tools and consumables to crews at a plant site.
Inventory specialistOwns stock, orders and storage for the company's industrial jobs.
BuyerPlaces larger orders and works out prices with steel and pipe suppliers.
Logistics managerRuns material for every job, from the order to the job site.
Other roles in an industrial construction business
How much does an industrial inventory specialist need to know about pipe and fittings?
Enough to catch a wrong part before it reaches the crew. A flange can be the right size and still have the wrong pressure class, face or material. Hire someone who knows pipe size and schedule, fitting types and material grades, or who has worked a supply house counter that sold them. The rest comes from your bills of materials and time spent next to a pipefitter.
How much does an industrial construction inventory specialist make?
Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks who work for commercial and industrial builders earned a median of $29.17 an hour ($60,670 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $51,840 and $73,150 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
Should the inventory specialist work at the shop or at the plant site?
On a long job inside a plant, many contractors set up a crib in a trailer or container near the work. A specialist there saves crews long walks and catches problems early, but needs the plant's badge and orientation. On short jobs, working from your shop and sending loads out works fine. Say in the ad which one it is, since a plant crib can mean a long drive and the plant's start time.
When does an industrial contractor need its own inventory specialist?
Watch for foremen making parts runs, crews waiting on bolts, and the same item bought twice because no one knew it was in the yard. Those hours are paid at craft rates, so they add up. A contractor running more than one plant job at a time usually feels it first.
Which tasks match the template's lifting, standing and confined-space lines?
Lifting cartons of bolts, gaskets and rod within the template's limit, spending much of the day on foot in the crib and yard, and reaching into cramped storage spots or a crib inside a hot or cold plant building. Hours at the inventory screen count too. Describe these duties as tasks in the posting, and hear out any candidate who wants to handle one differently.
